Mangroves have a high potential to reduce climate change-induced threats, particularly the impacts of extreme weather events and sea level rise; maintaining critical habitats for many threatened and endangered species; simultaneously, it provide livelihood resources for communities through fish production, generating economic opportunities and providing community with food security for survival, thus effective measures have a major environmental, economic and social impact. Based on our own observation and experience gained from past RSG projects, we have learnt the importance of conservation of this life sustaining natural resources for the well being of the coastal ecosystem and the benefit for local communities particularly in the context of Odisha state which is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Community-led mangrove restoration and conservation process has been the hall mark of our initiative. In doing so, our project team members have been closely working with the community members, especially the women and youth. As significant success has been achieved by making the initiative community owned, the same approach will be followed in this project. This project seeks to build on the strengths of the network of VMCs and establish a federation of 27 VMCs in a federation to ensure the long term conservation and sustainable management of mangrove resources. The project will organise field level hands on training on mangrove restoration techniques to VMC members. The project will promote the use of fuel efficient chullas so as to reduce the use of fuel wood and improvement of livelihoods of forest dependent community through convergence with Govt. schemes. The project will also create awareness among community members on mangroves of their critical importance for mankind.

Since most of the activities and planned strategies are community led, communities will play a significant role in this process by providing timely inputs, volunteers, contribution in kind, involvement in monitoring and assessment and implementation. The proposed project is intended to reduce the vulnerability of communities from the impacts of climate change-driven flooding, storm surges, cyclones and coastal erosion through strengthen and sustain community stewardship for sustainable mangrove resource management, conservation and restoration, thereby ensuring livelihood security, and reduction in coastal disaster risks of the communities. The project will ensure well being of the coastal ecosystem and improving livelihood of vulnerable coastal communities.